Evaluating Candidates

Scope

Covers

• Defining an explicit hiring bar (what “great” means for this role at this company, right now)
• Turning interviews, work samples/trials, and references into evidence, not vibes
• Designing job-relevant work samples (and paid trials when appropriate)
• Running high-signal reference checks and integrating them into the decision
• Producing a decision-ready recommendation with clear risks and mitigations

When to use

• “Help me decide whether to hire this candidate.”
• “Create a scorecard and decision memo based on interview notes + references.”
• “Design a work sample / take-home (or paid trial) and a scoring rubric.”
• “Plan and run reference checks; give me a summary and recommendation.”
• “Calibrate our hiring bar for a and compare candidates fairly.”